The Power of Glucosamine & Chondroitin For Joint Health Support – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 194
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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Most of us know someone who has been impacted by sore joints, achy joints, stiff joints. Many times, many people just deal with this. They just look at it as part of the aging process. Maybe they just get accustomed to taking their NSAIDs on a daily basis, which can come with their own slew of side effects. I want to talk today about the true impact of arthritis, how many people are actually affected by this, and what you can be doing. We know that food matters, exercise matters, but certainly different nutrients that you are taking can make a huge impact as well.
The Arthritis Foundation came out with their latest findings, talking about how there are over 100 different types of arthritis. We know that arthritis itself affects more than 1 in 4 adults in the US, so that’s 25% of the population, which is a really large number. What’s interesting is that they’ve done these adjusted estimates to say that close to 100 million adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. This is key because many people will deal with arthritis and joint pain and stiffness and they’ll never tell their physician, so it’s not technically a diagnosis. It’s just something that they deal with as part of their daily routine. That’s a really alarming thing.†
To learn more about the risks associated with arthritis and joint dysfunction, tune into the full podcast episode.
How to improve joint health
An awful lot of people are dealing with arthritis and the health burden that accompanies it. This can really impact someone’s social interactions. If someone’s always feeling chronic pain, they may not want to go out and do the things that they used to do. Maybe they were more physically active, and now they have chronic knee pain or chronic hip pain and they just don’t have that desire to go out and stay as active as they once used to. This is why it’s really incredibly important to make sure that you are doing the right things to help your body. This includes:
- Nourishing nutrients: Omega 3 fatty acids, Collagen (especially Type 1), Glucosamine and Chondroitin†
- Avoiding pro-inflammatory foods, like sugar
- Staying physically active
Glucosamine and chondroitin
Glucosamine and chondroitin have been around for so long, with people taking them for their joints. A meta-analysis conducted a few years ago through the Journal of Orthopedic Surgery and Research looked at 30 different randomized controlled trials of glucosamine and chondroitin and how effective they are when it comes to alleviating pain symptoms, as well as improving functionality within the joints. They found that glucosamine significantly improved the joint functionality in terms of stiffness of the joint. They found that the chondroitin was also very very powerful when it came to alleviating pain symptoms, as well as improvement of joint function.†
How SAMe Can Help With Joint Discomfort – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 156. Listen Now >>
So what are glucosamine and chondroitin? Chondroitin is this major component of cartilage that helps to retain water. It helps with mobility and allows the cartilage to remain in a hydrated state. Chondroitin itself is made in the body naturally, but as we get older, our natural production of chondroitin will begin to diminish. Glucosamine is a natural compound that is found within healthy cartilage, particularly found within the fluid around the joints. Studies show that it plays this really important role in terms of easing inflammation, as well as helping with cartilage regeneration. For more information on the benefits of both glucosamine and chondroitin, make sure to listen to the full podcast episode.†
Knowing that we have 1 in 4 US adults dealing with some form of chronic joint pain or joint dysfunction, knowing that our collagen levels go down once we hit 25, knowing that the body starts to diminish its ability to produce chondroitin as we get older, it makes sense that when we think about a joint health regimen, it makes sense that we include nutrients such as collagen, glucosamine and chondroitin.†
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
Questions about Glucosamine and Chondroitin? Leave a comment below to join our joint health support conversation!
